A Toast to Now
by Joseph Haney
Summary: It's Christmas Eve and Frank runs into an old flame whle running a last minute errand for Joe. Inspired by the song "Same Old Lang Syne" by Dan Fogelberg.


As Frank Hardy pulled into the grocery store's snowy parking lot, he again cursed Joe for forgetting the green beans. Of all nights to remember that you forgot part of your Christmas dinner. Of course he was the one who had agreed to go on this wild goose chase. "As if I have nothing better to do tonight," he muttered to himself as he shut the car off and climbed out. "God, I'm an idiot."

On the other hand he was glad he managed to find a grocery store still open on Christmas Eve. The first six he had gone to were closed for the holiday. This was the last one in the neighborhood and if he had had to go any further out of his way, he probably would give up and turned back. Buttoning up his coat against the wind and falling snow, he hurried across the nearly abandoned parking lot toward the sliding doors.

The store was pretty much empty, except for a young couple laughing and falling over themselves in the checkout line, and the lone cashier, a man in his late forties, who was trying not to look too annoyed. Frank chuckled to himself. _At least I'm not the only idiot out tonight_, he thought as he picked up a basket and made his way to the aisles to pick up the groceries he had been searching for.

He had just collected the last item on his short list when he heard the ding that indicated that someone else had just arrived. Intrigued, Frank quickened his pace toward the front of the store so he could catch a glimpse of this new arrival. He wanted to remember the faces of everyone who, like him, was foolish enough to be out shopping tonight in this weather. He soon arrived at the end of the aisle and turned toward the doors. When he saw who was standing there, he almost dropped his groceries._ It can't be,_ he thought. But it was. "Nancy?" he whispered, barely believing it.

Frank hadn't seen Nancy Drew in nearly fifteen years. He had often run through what he might say if their paths ever crossed again, but now, standing there, actually seeing her, he was overcome with the urge to run away. What do you say to the woman you loved when you haven't seen her in fifteen years?

She started to walk toward the frozen foods section of the store and Frank seriously considered getting the hell out of there. But then he thought of what Joe would say if he found out about this: _Jesus, Frank! You haven't seen her in fifteen years. It wouldn't have killed you to say hello. After all you two have been through together, you owe her that much._ "God I hate it when he's right," Frank muttered. He then took a deep breath and headed towards the frozen foods.

He found her in the second aisle, but he still was hesitant to approach her. What do you say to someone you haven't seen in fifteen years? Taking a deep breath—and again fighting the urge to run away—he started down the aisle toward her. She never looked up, and Frank thought for a moment that he had been mistaken. But the ball had started rolling and he needed to see this through. He walked right up behind her. _Here goes nothing,_ he thought, and he reached out and gently touched her arm.

She jumped slightly, and Frank realized that she was focused on her shopping. In that instant, even before she turned around, he knew this was Nancy Drew, a revelation that both thrilled and terrified him. This mixture of feelings was compounded when she turned around and looked at him without a single flicker of recognition.

_Great, she doesn't recognize me,_ Frank thought as her eyes narrowed, searching his face. He was about to say something, when her eyes lit up with recognition. "Frank?" she said, as though she wasn't sure. He smiled and nodded. "Hi, Nancy."

"Frank!" she said, and she enthusiastically went to hug him, which resulted in the contents of her purse spilling all over the floor. Nancy stopped, swore at the mess, and then turned back to Frank. Their eyes met and Frank felt a smile creep over his face. He saw a similar smile coming from Nancy and before he knew it, they were both laughing. Ten minutes later they had cleaned up the mess, but not before their laughter had brought tears to their eyes.

"Wow, Frank," Nancy began after she caught her breath. "It's great to see you. What are you doing here on Christmas Eve?"

"Doing the shopping that Joe forgot to do last week," he said, indicating his basket. "These beans could be the only thing standing between him and divorce. If Allison finds out he forgot these, she'll kill him."

"Oh, yeah, I got the wedding invitation. Sorry I couldn't make it."

"It's ok. So what did you forget that brings you out here?"

"Well, I was supposed to cook a Christmas dinner tonight, but time got away from me, so I've got to settle for frozen pizza."

"Gee, I'm sorry," Frank said. "If you're not sure which brand to get, I'd recommend DiGiornos. It's the best. It's not as good as something from a restaurant, but it's the best you'll find here."

"Thanks," Nancy said. She walked to the freezer and pulled out two pizzas. "I don't usually go for these, but it's going to have to do this year."

"Well, if that's it, shall we check out?"

She nodded, flashed him a smile, and led the way to the check-out line, where the attendant was still standing. He was looking anxiously from them to the clock to the parking lot, which told Frank that he was ordered not to close until the last customer had left.

Frank's suspicions were further verified by the manner in which he hurried them through the check-out line. Frank paid for the beans, wished the clerk a merry Christmas (half expecting a "Bah Humbug" in return), and stood aside to wait for Nancy. The two of them then walked out into the snowy night.

As fate would have it, she had parked next to him. As she walked around to the driver's side of her car, Frank had an idea. "Hey, Nancy," he called over the wind. "Do you want to get a drink or something? Maybe catch up? I know a place not far from here."

"Do you think it's open?" she asked.

_Good question,_ Frank thought. "Why don't we find out?" he asked.

Nancy hesitated, as though she had somewhere she needed to be, but wasn't looking forward to being there. Frank opened his mouth to retract the invitation, but Nancy beat him to it. "Sure," she said. "Lead the way." She climbed into her car and started it. Frank smiled and mentally threw his fist in the air. He then followed suit.

Nancy was right to be concerned. The bar was locked up tight. "I guess we try somewhere else," Nancy said, but Frank shook his head.

"There's not going to be any place open at this time of night on Christmas Eve. I'm sorry." He was about to climb into his car when he remembered passing an open liquor store on his way to the store thirty minutes earlier. He instructed Nancy to follow him and he led the way.

When they arrived, he motioned for her to stay in the car and he ran in and bought a six pack of beer. He then went over to her car and pulled the door open. "When faced with a problem," he said with a grin, "don't be afraid to settle for the second best solution."

Nancy laughed. "You just made that up," she said as he climbed in.

"Yes I did," Frank confessed, offering her a beer. He then took one for himself and offered a toast. "To here and now," he said. Nancy's smile faltered slightly, something anyone else would have missed. But Frank, a former detective, saw it. Before he could press it, Nancy started the conversation.

"So, Joe's married. What about you?"

"Nope. But in my defense it's not for lack of trying. I just haven't found anyone I want to spend the rest of my life with." _Liar,_ he thought, mentally slapping himself. _She's sitting right in front of you._ "What about you?"

Much to Frank's distress, she nodded. "I married an architect about five years ago. His name's Kevin."

"Oh, yeah?" Frank said, trying to sound pleased. "How's married life treating you?"

"It's not bad. He keeps me warm and safe and dry, and all that jazz." Her smile faltered again and Frank began to reach a conclusion about Nancy's relationship with her husband that both excited and infuriated him. The most glaring clue was the fact that she hadn't said that she loved him. Granted Frank hadn't asked, but he had never known Nancy to lie about her feelings. If she hadn't said it, chances were she didn't love him.

"So are you and Joe still playing detective?" Nancy asked stirring Frank from his thoughts. Noticing that his beer was empty, he grabbed another before answering.

"No. We got out of that business ten years ago. Joe put together a band and tried to make a living as a singer."

"Now that you mention it, I did see him in the record stores a few years back. Did it work out for him?"

"Not really. He didn't like it as much as he thought he would. As he put it 'the audience is heavenly, but the travelling is hell.'"

"Really," Nancy said with a grin. "What's he doing now?"

"He owns a recording studio and helps other aspiring artists get their breaks."

"And what about you?"

"I'm a criminology professor at UCLA."

"That's amazing!"

"Yeah, it has its moments. I've even written a few books about being a detective, working with Joe and Dad. And you."

"That's great."

"Yeah, great," Frank said sarcastically. "Except for the three month book tours, it was a blast."

"That bad, huh?" Nancy asked sympathetically.

"How can I put this? The audience was heavenly, but the travelling was hell."

Nancy laughed so hard she almost spilled her beer. Frank laughed too, and again he was taken back fifteen years to the last time he had seen her.

"What about you? What are you doing for a living?"

"I'm an investigator for the DA's office."

"Really?" Frank said surprised.

"What can I say? Some habits are hard to kick."

Frank simply nodded in agreement and took a particularly long sip of his beer.

"You look good, Nancy," he said.

For the first time since they had started this conversation, Nancy was speechless. "Thanks, Frank," she finally said.

"I mean it. You look good. You're eyes are just as blue as I remember them," he said, feeling like an idiot as soon as he said it. Nancy didn't say anything, but their eyes met. Even with all of his detective experience, Frank wasn't sure if the look she was giving him was one of gratitude—or doubt.

When Frank reached for another beer, he realized that all of them were gone. He took a quick glance at his watch and saw that they had been talking for almost an hour. "I've got to go. If I don't bring those beans to Joe tonight, he might find a divorce suit in his stocking tomorrow."

"Yeah," Nancy said. "And I've got to get home, too. Kevin was really looking forward to a Christmas dinner tonight. He's not going to be happy without one."

Frank had another idea. "Why don't you and Kevin come to Joe's tomorrow night? Allison always makes more food than any of us can eat anyway, and I know Joe would love to see you again." _So would I,_ he thought.

"Are you sure it's OK?"

"It's fine," he said. He grabbed a pen and piece of paper from the dashboard. "Here's the address and phone number for Joe and Allison's house. I'll clear it with Joe and Allison. You and Kevin just show up at four-thirty tomorrow with your appetites."

"Thank you so much Frank," Nancy said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Frank just nodded and opened the door. "I'll see you tomorrow."

As he watched her drive away, Frank felt his stomach hit the parking lot beneath him. Wiping a tear from his eye, he turned and walked to his car. As he placed his hand on the handle, the snow turned into rain. Chuckling at the irony in spite of himself, Frank opened the door and got in.

Forty-five minutes later, he walked through the door into his brother's house. "Joe, I'm home," he called. "I've got your stuff. And you'll never believe who I ran into at the store."


End file.
